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Weight loss chat

A space to talk openly about weight loss journeys and challenges. Mumsnet hasn't checked the qualifications of anyone posting here. You may wish to speak to a medical professional before starting any diet.

Why We Eat (Too Much) thread 6

1000 replies

TheLeadbetterLife · 15/07/2022 10:59

Whoops, we let thread 5 get away from us a bit there...

I'm going to boringly copy-paste the previous thread opener, because it's too hot to be imaginative.

Welcome to thread 6 of discussion, encouragement and advice inspired by the book Why We Eat (Too Much), by Dr Andrew Jenkinson.

The basic principles of this "diet" (it's not one in the traditional sense, as it's meant to be a permanent set of changes), are as follows:

Cut out ultra-processed food

Massively reduce sugar, carbs, refined flours and wheat

Eat a wide variety of vegetables, whole grains and fruit

Eat full fat dairy and other healthy fats like extra virgin olive oil

Improve the ratio of omega 3 to 6 by eating greens, fish, eggs and grass-fed meat, and cutting out ultra-refined seed oils

Important lifestyle changes include getting plenty of rest, relaxation and sleep, as well as taking a moderate amount of exercise (or more, if you like that sort of thing).

You don't need to count calories (in fact, you shouldn't), though it may help to count carbs or glycemic load, at least to begin with, until you get the hang of it.

Some of us share recipes by following each other on Copy Me That - www.copymethat.com/recipebox/the-leadbetter-life/6661160/

As well as the book mentioned in the title, the principles are similar to those espoused by the likes of Rangan Chatterjee, Robert Lustig, Tim Spector and Michael Mosley.

There are many successes on this thread, and the main thing is that we are aiming to make permanent, sustainable changes to adjust our weight set-points downwards.

Join us!

OP posts:
Thread gallery
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SerenadeOfTheSchoolRun · 27/07/2023 06:55

I think my weeing in the day has slowed down since my diet has improved - maybe….

UnRavellingFast · 27/07/2023 06:58

TheLeadbetterLife · 15/07/2022 11:56

I tend not to worry too much about what I eat when I go out, but I don't go out that often.

I read Glucose Revolution recently, so I've started having a salad with vinegar before big meals, or as a starter in restaurants, as apparently this helps reduce the blood sugar spike from any subsequent carbs.

Thread newbie here- do you mean just vinegar on salad or can you have a bit of oil?

Theelephantinthecastle · 27/07/2023 07:37

Didn't Lord Byron believe in the vinegar thing?

TheLeadbetterLife · 27/07/2023 08:26

UnRavellingFast · 27/07/2023 06:58

Thread newbie here- do you mean just vinegar on salad or can you have a bit of oil?

You can have plenty of oil, if it’s extra virgin olive!

OP posts:
Oblahdeeoblahdoe · 27/07/2023 08:48

Thank you @SerenadeOfTheSchoolRun just shows you how important it is to read the bottle!
I agree @Words I wouldn't be using loads of it and it's probably a lot better than a packet of sauce.

UnRavellingFast · 27/07/2023 09:15

TheLeadbetterLife · 27/07/2023 08:26

You can have plenty of oil, if it’s extra virgin olive!

Excellent thanks!

Words · 27/07/2023 09:28

Welcome @UnRavellingFast Smile

Words · 31/07/2023 06:47

Am now tantalisingly close (again) to goal but going in the wrong direction.

I have been experimenting with shortbread making (so what do I expect!!!) and toast has also featured several times this last week. Sugar I can sometimes get away with, but bread, nope.

Must knuckle down this week. The rest of the shortbread is now on top shelf, out of view, so it can become the treat it was meant to be rather than a daily indulgence.

stilldumdedumming · 31/07/2023 09:47

Hmmm I think I need some words of encouragement if possible? I find myself mainly on plan. I'm not about to give up on that and I've started intermittent fasting too because I have given up alcohol since May so it's a lot easier to fast! (Unless you enjoy midday beer of course!) The IF only started a week ago.

I'm not thinking of giving it up because I know it's my preferred WOE but I need to lose weight and I am not. I am 116kg - it's nearly the heaviest I have ever been.

I used to exercise a lot but I'm stuck in that loop of not doing so because I have no energy but then being sedentary does not help. I also have pretty bad mobility problems meaning I can walk with a stick but it is dawdling pace. I don't have a gym nearby either. I do yoga and like weights but I'm finding motivation really hard. My job is extremely sedentary. (We had an office with motion activated lights and we had to get up to wave them back on as nobody moved!)

The extra weight is actually making me extremely unhappy. And of course menopause means my shape has changed too. So that is no fun. I tried HRT but I couldn't get on with it. I'm happy to go without that to be fair.

The only thing I don't do is the whole omega thing. I don't really understand it and I'm vegetarian so it's a bit tricky I think?

SerenadeOfTheSchoolRun · 31/07/2023 12:38

Re the Omega thing - chuck flax seeds and chia seeds in everything. Cook in olive oil, coconut oil or rapeseed oil. Avoid sunflower oil.

stilldumdedumming · 31/07/2023 12:50

Thank you @SerenadeOfTheSchoolRun I have both flax and chia pretty daily so maybe that's ok. And yes to coconut oil and olive oil that's all I use. So maybe I just need to eat less Grin

Words · 06/08/2023 06:43

Hello all. I am still stuck in a phase of plateau / see saw up and down the same couple of pounds. Am still ´cheating' here and there too.

Like @stilldumdedumming I don't pay much heed to the omega thing in terms of adding things in, although I do only use olive oil and butter for cooking and don't have anything pre prepared.

Maybe I should start using flaxseed again.I tried chia and didn't like the texture at all.

Aria999 · 13/08/2023 22:34

Hi all. As usual I had a seriously off plan 3.5 weeks while traveling in the uk (the bread is just soo good I can't not eat it, and also let's not talk about the quantity of ice cream) and am now about 8 lbs overweight so here we go again.

Sorry to hear you are not losing weight @stilldumdedumming that's depressing. Things that work for me personally are;
Go easy on the carbs
Prioritize rice and green veg for carbs and don't have too many potatoes
Don't eat too much fruit
Snack on cheese

However one thing this plan teaches you is that everyone is different. I do eat as much as I want but I actually often don't want that much. So less food does help too!

Words · 14/08/2023 07:03

Wise words @Aria999

Sorry about the weight gain. It will come off though! Bread does that to me too, unfortunately.

I had a terrible day of eating yesterday. Fish and chips, followed by tea and a very large slice of cake with a friend, and random bits of tasty from the fridge for dinner. I seem to have got away with it, but will try and be careful for next few days. It's so easy for a treat to rapidly become a routine.

My goal is tantalisingly in sight, but weight is v up and down currently.

Words · 23/08/2023 12:03

This thread is dying :(

Here's a great recipe. I subbed cavolo Nero for kale and it was delicious:

www.copymethat.com/r/ccTg0Ersi/greek-kale-salad/

Still hovering tantalisingly close to goal...

Aria999 · 23/08/2023 13:52

Hi @Words , yes it is a bit isn't it!

I've come to accept that while this WOE has been life changing for me, there are clearly lots of people it doesn't work for; and that while the basic ideas are compelling (I saw a reference to the set point idea in a completely different context recently, about the success of the new slimming medications) the science is under developed.

So I have stopped shouting about it on other threads, I don't know if that makes a difference.

Glad to hear you are nearly at goal, that must be exciting (and frustrating)!

I love the reliability with which the pounds start to slide off once I get back into routine. Still quite a way to go but headed in the right direction.

stilldumdedumming · 23/08/2023 15:09

@Words thanks for keeping it going though. I really appreciate it.
@Aria999 can you remember the gist of what they were saying?

CornedBeef451 · 23/08/2023 15:10

I've been away on two separate holidays and gone a bit mad!

First week away I gained 5lbs of icecream and bread but it all disappeared again over the next week.

Then I went away again and regained the same 5lbs, this time biscuits and bread to mix it up a bit. I'm hoping that will disappear easily too!

Bread is a constant issue.

My current set point is 10% lower than my starting weight but I do seem to be stuck here.

I am still massively overweight so it's not even that I'm close to my goal weight. I need to lose another 1 1/2 stone to merely be very overweight so I am still really quite spherical.

When the DCs are back at school I'm hoping it'll be easier to stick to, start intermittent fasting again and do more exercise.

On the plus side, I've converted my DFather and he has lost 2 stone in a short period! He was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and put straight on to tablets.

It's been brilliant watching him lose the weight without torturing himself and he's obviously feeling much better over all and has started doing a bit of exercise.

Good luck everyone, hope you're all doing as well as DF and much better than me!

Aria999 · 23/08/2023 17:36

@stilldumdedumming seems to be the same idea that your brain decides how fat you will be:

One leading explanation for obesity is that bodies try to maintain a particular baseline, or set point, of fat. On a population level, changes in the environment and behaviors have increased fat set points over time, Jastreboff said.

www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/ozempic-wegovy-obesity-chronic-health-condition-rcna68831

Words · 24/08/2023 06:51

Aha! You're still there after all! Grin

I'm definitely at another set point. Going to redouble my efforts! In preparation I have re read bits of the book to remind myself of the science behind it all. I shall start paying more attention to the omega thing I think, and be more meticulous about not cheating. ( eyes dark chocolate with hazelnut stash sadly)

I've changed my gym routine and increased weights recently to tone up a bit more. That seems to be increasing my appetite, with predictable consequences.

It does seem that all the various systems in the body ( she said vaguely) do operate to try to keep everything in balance, and the key to disrupting that in terms of weight loss is to pay close attention to insulin resistance.

Did anyone catch the Mosley thing about no coffee on an empty stomach? That will never happen with me as I always start the day with gallons of the stuff, and don't eat till lunchtime as am doing 18/6 too.

TheLeadbetterLife · 24/08/2023 21:47

Why no coffee on an empty stomach? Black coffee is my breakfast! That’s all I have until about 1 or 2pm

OP posts:
Words · 25/08/2023 06:50

Indeed! I drink gallons of the stuff, and don't eat till lunchtime.

His argument is that coffee can increase cortisol and other stress hormones which can cause spikes in blood sugar. So you should have coffee with food.

No, it isn't going to happen here eitherGrin

stilldumdedumming · 25/08/2023 07:16

I've very recently got my coffee addiction in some kind of control. I do think there's something in the cortisol thing. I've been running on full flight, fight, freeze mode for about 8 years. And I do think there's some link between that and coffee. You get used to it and the coffee almost keeps you there. I drink it after a meal now (as opposed to practically chain drinking - so that's interesting)

TheLeadbetterLife · 25/08/2023 08:27

Words · 25/08/2023 06:50

Indeed! I drink gallons of the stuff, and don't eat till lunchtime.

His argument is that coffee can increase cortisol and other stress hormones which can cause spikes in blood sugar. So you should have coffee with food.

No, it isn't going to happen here eitherGrin

Well yeah, spiking cortisol is the point of coffee isn't it? That's why it feels so good.

OP posts:
Words · 26/08/2023 06:27

Yep. As I've said before on here I can polish off two or three cafetières in a morning, which is excessive by anyone's standards. I can pee for England.

I've had some success mixing with a decent ground decaf (Lavazza is my favourite) in the past so I guess I should go back to that to reduce caffeine intake a bit.

Still firmly stuck on my latest set point. Six weeks now, deviating up and down marginally.

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